In today's competitive automotive world, much effort is expended in designing an automobile's interior to provide features which will optimize the passenger's comfort and convenience. For instance, today's automobiles are typically equipped with armrests located next to the passengers for supporting their arms to decrease passenger fatigue and increase their riding pleasure. Another convenience to which today's passengers have become accustomed to is a beverage container holder for supporting a beverage container or cup while riding in the automobile. Typical of such a beverage container holder is the glove compartment door type in which cylindrical recesses are formed on the inside of the glove compartment door so that when the door is opened it functions as a tray. In addition to being unsteady, this type of beverage container holder is not accessible to every passenger, especially the driver of the automobile. This situation presents a potential safety hazard since a driver must divert his attention away from driving in order to reach his beverage.
Several attempts have been made to combine the comfort features of an armrest and the convenience features of a beverage container holder into a single unit. These devices generally fall into one of two categories. The first type includes armrests having a complex, costly and sometimes unreliable cup holder mechanism which is moveable into and out of a storage compartment formed within the armrest assembly between a storage position and use position, respectively. Typical of such devices are those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,908 to Dykstra et al, issued Mar. 29, 1988.
The second type includes a rigid receptacle disposed in the upper surface of the armrest into which a beverage container is received and supported. Although these types of beverage container holders have the inherent advantage of simple construction, low cost and reliability over the first type, the holders available thus far have proven to be unsatisfactory since the comfort provided by the armrest is greatly sacrificed by incorporating a rigid receptacle in the upper surface of the armrest. Another example of an armrest including a rigid cupholder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,940 to Tooley, issued Feb. 8, 1966.
Thus, there is a need in the automotive market for an armrest assembly including a beverage container holder which is simply constructed, inexpensive to produce and is reliable and which will not significantly interfere with the comfort and convenience of the armrest.